


Got Your Back

by LdyAnne



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-31
Updated: 2011-08-31
Packaged: 2017-10-23 06:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/247495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyAnne/pseuds/LdyAnne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney and Ronon running for their lives. Just another day in Pegasus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Got Your Back

**Author's Note:**

> While I imagine this as season 5 Ronon because he was much more vocal in season 5, Carson is here because Carson didn't die in my universe. Written for the Rodney and Ronon challenge on the SGA HC list.

Rodney squirmed as Ronon's fingers dug into his sides.

"Listen, you Neanderthal, that's my flesh you're gouging there," Rodney snarled, keeping his voice low so they didn't draw any unwanted attention.

"You wouldn't be complaining if it was Sheppard you were tied to," Ronon responded, his fingers digging even deeper into tender flesh in Rodney's opinion.

"What are you implying?" Rodney did his best to slap at Ronon's fingers. They were now tickling at his sides. "I'll have you know that the colonel and I are just friends."

"That's not what the marines call it." Even though they were tied back to back, Rodney could hear the smirk in Ronon's voice.

"The marines shouldn't be calling it anything at all," Rodney snapped.

"Relax, they don't talk about you and Sheppard. Teyla and I are the only ones who know about that." Ronon said. Rodney had no idea what Ronon was doing behind him, but his fingers were wandering around to probe at Rodney's back.

"There's nothing for you to know about." Rodney insisted. He and Sheppard were damned discreet. How dare Teyla and Ronon know? "What are you doing back there?" he jerked when Ronon hit a ticklish spot with his questing fingers. He couldn't go anywhere because they were tied together to a pole.

"Sure, sure," Ronon answered, "there's nothing going on. Whatever you say. Sure." His fingers continued to move about, almost like they were looking for something. "I have a knife in a sheath under my belt. Can you reach it?"

"How do you still have a knife? Didn't they already find like 20 on you when they searched you?" Rodney's fingers took over the searching, feeling their way along Ronon's ribs down to the waist of his trousers.

"One for them to find, one to keep. Everybody knows that."

"Yeah, yeah." Rodney slipped his fingers inside the leather of Ronon's belt. "Where is it?"

"Be careful, it's sharp," Ronon cautioned just as Rodney's fingers found the hilt of the slim knife slid into a sheath inside Ronon's belt. The angle was bad, getting his fingers around it was awkward.

"Almost there," Rodney said, all of his attention focused on getting the knife out. He thought about the guards, and then dismissed them from his mind. If they were a problem, Ronon would let him know.

"What about Teyla and Sheppard?" Rodney asked. He worked his fingers around the hilt, working on sliding the knife out without slicing his fingers or Ronon's back to ribbons.

"Teyla was injured. Not too bad," he was quick to assure Rodney, "twisted her ankle or something. Sheppard covered her. He'll get her to the jumper and then they'll come back for us."

"The jumpers are an hour away," Rodney finally had the hilt in his grasp and he pulled on it carefully. It slid out smoothly. Rodney was so surprised he almost fumbled it. He caught it firmly at the last minute knicking his finger on the edge.

"That's why we're working on our own rescue." Ronon's fingers took the knife from Rodney. The ropes around them loosened almost immediately. "Get ready to run," Ronon said, his voice even lower than before. Rodney could feel him shifting minutely behind him.

"Won't someone notice?" Rodney took a look around now that his attention wasn't focused on the knife. He had to admit that the villagers weren't really paying them that much attention now that they were tied up, supposedly.

"Hope not," Ronon kept his back to Rodney, but Rodney could feel the small shifts of his body as observed the people around them, took in the situation. He grabbed Rodney's wrist with one hand. Rodney appreciated the contact. Ronon's hand was big and warm. Rodney didn't tell him, but he trusted Ronon with his life. It made him feel safer when he had Ronon at his side.

"Why did they jump us anyway? I thought things were going pretty well." There'd been an intriguing energy signature; Rodney hadn't really been paying attention to the introductions going on around them when he had suddenly found himself being held down by two really big guys that made Ronon look anemic.

Ronon gave a small chuff of laughter. "They're Wraith worshipers, McKay."

A whole village of Wraith worshippers? The idea made Rodney shiver.

Ronon pressed as close to Rodney as he could, his voice low, "Now listen. Head for the buildings at the edge of the square, we can try and lose any pursuit there. Just try to blend in with the rest of the crowd."

"You realize I'm not going to blend in here, big guy," Rodney said soto voice. "You'll blend in quite nicely, I mean look at you, your pants still have animal hair on them, but me..."

"You looking at my pants, McKay?" Ronon squeezed Rodney's arm. Rodney didn't know if it meant 'don't run yet' or 'stop talking about my pants.'

"What? No!" Rodney squawked a bit too loud just as Ronon pulled him around.

Ronon clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. They'd been spotted. A cry went up.

"They're getting away. Stop them!"

Ronon grabbed Rodney's arm and they took off as if the Wraith were on their tail. In a way they were.

Rodney saw the buildings Ronon had talked about. Unfortunately a group of seriously big guard-type guys erupted out of one of them. Using his grip on Rodney's arm to steer him, Ronon altered their course. They headed for the tree line. They were close when the Wraith worshippers got their wits about them and began to use weapons.

Although they didn't have any firearms or the stun weapons that the Wraith favored, the villagers had plenty of other things that caused harm. Rodney had been hit in the ass by an arrow once so he knew exactly what had happened when he felt something hit him pushing him forward.

"Oof," was all he got out when he stumbled. He wasn't really surprised when he looked down and saw an arrow in his thigh.

Ronon firmed up his hold on Rodney's arm and they ran on. They could hear the excited cries of the villagers behind them as they continued drawing closer.

"Where are you hit?" Ronon asked, never breaking stride.

"Thigh," Rodney was too out of breath for anything more.

"Gonna be able to make it until we find someplace safe to stop?"

"Do I have a choice?" Rodney snapped. He'd give just about anything to have Sheppard show up in the jumper right about now raining down drones on the mob chasing them.

They didn't talk after that, which was just as well. Rodney didn't have enough breath to run and talk. And the pain was making itself known with ever step. Breath stealing pain that made him gasp. It was a struggle to just stay upright.

They finally reached the tree line, crashing into the underbrush. Rodney couldn't hear the villagers pursuing them anymore. It might have been because his heartbeat was thundering so loud that he couldn't hear anything else. Rodney blew out a relieved breath although he knew they really weren't safe. He just felt safer now that they were surrounded by tall trees and brush where they at least had a chance of finding cover if they needed it.

And they were going to need it. Soon. Every step was an agony, every footstep sent pain shooting through him. His vision tunneled down so that all he could see was straight ahead. He knew if Ronon wasn't beside him, he would have gone down by now. But Ronon was like a tree in his strength. Rodney leaned into him, knowing that Ronon would keep him alive and on his feet if it were at all possible. And if it weren't, it would be because Ronon was already dead.

It came as a surprise to Rodney when they stopped.

"Wha?" he mumbled. He glanced around in confusion; he was in so much pain that all he got was a confused impression of trees and rocks.

"We've lost them. I need to take a look at you, see how bad you're hurt."

Rodney took a step back, he trusted Ronon with his life, but not with his wounds. "No, you'll pull it out."

Ronon rolled his eyes. "Nah, Carson yelled at me the last time I did that. I need to look at it and make sure you're not bleeding too bad."

He turned Rodney around, holding his shoulder to steady him. "Don't think it hit an artery," he said after an eternity where everything kept tunneling in and out for Rodney.

"You think?" Rodney bit out. "I'd be dead already if it hit an artery." It wasn't much of a snipe, it was the best he could manage at the moment. It was only sheer determination and Ronon's grip on his shoulder that was keeping him on his feet as it was.

Ronon pushed Rodney up against a rocky outcropping for support. It soared high above their head. Rodney thought it looked like something that Sheppard would be all too happy to climb, which wasn't relevant to anything.

He heard the sound of ripping cloth. He looked down in time to see Ronon using his knife to widen the tear around his pants and then ripping it away around Rodney's thigh. It looked completely ridiculous. He probed at the arrow's entry site with gentle fingers. Rodney swallowed against the pain and nasuea rolling through him. He really wished he could pass out. But that would mean Ronon would have to carry him.

"I've gotta break off part of this arrow and stabilize what's left in your leg. Don't move." He grinned up at Rodney wolfishly. "Talk to me," Ronon grunted a little as he tore the tough fabric of Rodney's BDU.

"Listen," Rodney said, his eyes on the knife that Ronon was wiping off against his pants, it was so not a Carson-approved method of sanitization, "you should leave me here. I'm just going to slow you down. I can hide while you get Sheppard and come back for me."

Ronon just stared up at him for a second before he stood and slapped his hand on Rodney's forehead. "You're not feverish so you must've hit your head," he muttered more to himself than Rodney.

Rodney pushed his hand away, "I didn't hit my head."

"Had to, cause you're talking crazy like when you hit your head. I'm not leaving you." He knelt down again.

Rodney grasped his shoulder, shaking it a little. "No, no, no, no, no. I'm making perfect sense. You can go faster without me."

"Yeah, and the Wraith worshippers will catch you and give you to the Wraith. Not going to happen." Ronon patted his leg in what Rodney was sure was supposed to be a reassuring gesture. "And Sheppard would feed me to those whale things you like so much if I show up back at the jumper without you. So, just stop talking crazy."

Yeah, Rodney had known he wouldn't go for it. Ronon was practically a mini-Sheppard in that regard. He would have giggled at the mental image if he had more strength.

"It's not too bad," Ronon mused almost to himself.

"Not too bad?" Rodney squawked. "Have you ever been hit with an arrow?" Ronon didn't answer he just looked up at Rodney, one brow lifted. "Oh, okay, so you have. But you're Mister Never Admits to Pain, just like Sheppard. I swear it's some macho..."

He bit off a scream of pain when Ronon broke the arrow. Everything tunneled down to black then dots dancing in front of his eyes.

"Stay with me, McKay," Ronon's voice broke through the fog. "Talk to me."

"Talk?" Rodney had his teeth clenched, trying not to cry. "What about?" he gritted out.

"I don't know. Whatever. You're the guy who talks."

The nasuea was ramping up. Rodney was pretty sure he was going to throw up at any moment, and there was nothing that he could think of that made any sense, but what the hell he could talk.

"Why did you come back?" he gasped out between waves of pain.

"What?"

Whatever Ronon was doing, it was excruciating. Rodney began to make a mental list of all the things he was going to do to Ronon to pay him back for the pain and suffering. Cold showers were just the beginning of the list.

"You could have gotten away with Teyla and Sheppard. You let those guys catch you. Why?"

Instead of answering Rodney's question, Ronon asked, "You got any bandages?"

Rodney tried to think. The Wraith worshipper had taken all of their weapons, and anything they considered weapons, but they'd left them some of the things in their tac-vests.

"I think so," he got out. "In my pocket." He started to fumble to find the bandages, slow and clumsy. Ronon caught Rodney's hands; his fingers were bloody.

"Oh, god," Rodney said, his voice faint.

"It's okay," Ronon said gently. "I'll get them."

He started going through Rodney's pockets, quickly, carefully.

"Couldn't leave you alone," Ronon said as he worked. He didn't look up at Rodney. He just kept going through pockets, laying aside anything he found that might help.

It took Rodney a moment to connect the seeming non-sequitur. Despite the pain he felt warmed. It didn't keep him from frowning down at Ronon. "Did you hit *your* head? Because that's a bad plan. You got caught, too, so I wouldn't be alone?"

Ronon shrugged and grinned. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"So, you stayed behind? You got captured because I did?" Rodney repeated, mostly because it just didn't make any sense. It didn't seem very Ronon-like either. Kill the Wraith worshippers sure, but not get captured by them.

Ronon shrugged. "Guess so."

"Guess so? Guess so? That's all you have to say? Why would you do that?" Rodney didn't understand it when Sheppard did things like that and they were whatever they were doing. It made even less sense that Ronon would do it. "You could have gone with Teyla and Sheppard and come back to rescue me with them."

"You would have been alone." Ronon said, like that explained everything.

"What does that even mean?" There was a reason Rodney liked math. It made sense. Ronon was about as far from math as anyone Rodney had ever met.

"You're team." When Ronon said it, it sounded like something more.

"What?"

"I thought you were supposed to be smart," Ronon grumbled at Rodney.

"Two plus two is four. Four plus four is eight. That makes sense. This gibberish you're putting out does not make sense."

Ronon huffed. "You get tapioca pudding."

"Still not making sense."

"You don't even like tapioca pudding. But sometimes if I'm late to dinner and there's only one or two left, you'll get one and put it on your tray."

"I'll have you know that I do, too, like tapioca pudding. You always steal it."

"Exactly. So, I guess this is for tapioca pudding."

"Oh, my god, that hair is taking over your brain. You're worse than Sheppard."

"Wait until I tell him that you're talking about my hair and my pants."

"Would you stop that? Ow, ow, ow." The pain washed over Rodney.

"You with me, McKay?" Ronon asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"Yes, of course, where else am I going to be?" Rodney's voice was querulous. He didn't know how he was going to move from this spot, let alone walk the hour that was required to get to the jumper and safety.

"We need to go." Ronon got Rodney turned in the direction they needed to go, giving him a second to get his bearings.

Rodney didn't know what had happened to their pursuit; all he knew was that he was never going to make it to the jumper.

"Would you tell Sheppard something for me?"

"No!" Ronon used his own body to brace Rodney, he had one arm around Rodney's waist holding him tightly. "You can tell him yourself when we get back."

"It's just I've never told him stuff I should have. I've never told you and Teyla stuff..." They began moving again and it was all Rodney could do to put one foot in front of the other.

"I know everything I need to know, McKay. There are some things you don't need to say. Besides you get me tapioca pudding." Ronon was pretty much carrying Rodney.

"I do not get you that Tapioca pudding..." Everything went dark on Rodney, the pain sliding away.

The rest of their escape was just a blur of pain and faces. Every time Rodney regained his senses Ronon was talking to him.

"You know the first time I killed a man I was sick. The commander of my squad laughed at me when he found out..."

Another step and Rodney was gone again.

"The first thing I saw when I woke up was Melana. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met..."

He didn't how long they had been moving, probably forever. Pain washed over him in waves, but Ronon's voice was an anchor that kept pulling him back to himself.

"I thought I was going to die when I first woke up and realized I had a Wraith tracker in my back and then I decided I was going to kill as many of the Wraith as I could before that happened..."

Once he even hallucinated that Sheppard was there.

"Hey, buddy, what have you done to yourself?" It had to be a hallucination. Sheppard's voice was weirdly gentle. Rodney felt a fleeting touch on his face. It was gone before he could appreciate the warmth there. "Don't worry; we're going to get you home. We just have to make a quick stop first. Ronon insists that these guys can't have his gun."

The pain went away then, on a wave of coolness. Rodney thought he remembered waking up once with Teyla smiling down at him. Her fingers were gentle as she wiped his face with a cool cloth.

"We were very worried about you, but I think you are going to be fine," she said.

The next time Rodney woke up, he was in Atlantis, the dim light telling him that he was in the infirmary. For a second he just let himself breathe, kind of amazed that he was alive.

He looked to his left, to Sheppard's usual spot. Fear jolted through him when he saw Ronon sitting there instead, in Sheppard's usual chair. He was tilted back, resting the chair against the bed opposite Rodney's. His eyes were closed and his breathing even.

Rodney tried to sit up, to find out what had happened to Sheppard. There was nothing and no one that would keep John from waiting at Rodney's side when he was injured, unless John himself was injured, too. He fell back against the bed with a gasp, pain spreading through him at the move.

Ronon came awake instantly, his chair falling to the floor with a thump. He jumped to his feet, putting a hand on Rodney's shoulder.

"Doc says you shouldn't move around much," he said.

"Thanks for that," Rodney gasped, fear and pain mixing to make him dizzy. "Sheppard?"

Ronon nodded over at the bed he had been leaning against.

In the dim light of the infirmary, Rodney could just make out a sleeping figure there.

Rodney's heart was beating so fast and loud, he was surprised Carson didn't show up to see what was up. "He okay?"

Ronon nodded, amusement in his eyes. "He'll be fine," Ronon's voice said he was hiding something.

"Ronon?" Rodney growled

"He might have been hurt a little." Ronon shrugged. "It's not bad, just a shallow knife cut. But Carson told him he needed to rest and sedated him. Told him I'd keep watch." Rodney relaxed a bit. Ronon might not understand why they thought injuries where a big deal, but he would have told Rodney if John had been hurt too badly.

"Teyla's asleep in the bed on your other side." Ronon added.

Rodney pulled in a deep breath, then two, trying to push back the panic. "Oh, well okay. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Ronon picked up a bowl and a spoon from the bedside table, settling himself back into his chair. "You want some?" Ronon held out the spoon to Rodney, it was dripping with Tapioca pudding.

Rodney shivered in revulsion. "No, thanks!" Now that he was awake, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to go back to sleep. He watched Ronon eat pudding with enthusiasm.

Finally Rodney asked the question that had been bugging him. "Listen, what makes you think that Sheppard and I are... you know.... Doing that?"

Ronon snickered at him. "You think Teyla and I can't hear the two of you when we're off world? You're loud enough to scare the wildlife for miles."

Rodney bristled, "We have a strict rule, there is no messing around off world!"

Ronon didn't answer, he just lifted a brow. Rodney realized what he'd said a beat later. He felt his face turn grow hot.

"Listen," he hissed, his voice urgent, "you can't tell anyone. His military has rules. It could be bad for him."

Ronon shook his head. He scooped up the last bite of pudding, holding out the spoon to Rodney again. Rodney shook his head. "I know about those. They're stupid. You love who you love."

Sheppard had always insisted that Ronon and Teyla would be alright with their relationship, but Rodney hadn't been so sure. "So... you don't mind?"

Ronon shrugged. "It's kind of weird. I mean, you and Sheppard?"

Rodney grinned a little. "I don't understand it myself most days, but it works for us. You won't tell?"

Ronon studied him for a moment. Rodney could see amusement there and maybe some affection, but there was no repulsion.

"I got your back," Ronon said simply, settling back in his chair to watch while the rest of his team slept.

Rodney decided maybe he could sleep after all. He drifted back to sleep knowing that he was surrounded by his team.

**Author's Note:**

> Betad by the always wonderful chocolatephysicist. Thank you!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Got Your Back [podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/686100) by [librarychick_94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/librarychick_94/pseuds/librarychick_94)




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